Students Recognized for Excellence in Undergraduate Research

VALDOSTA -- Students from Valdosta State University’s College of
Arts and Sciences received awards for their research and
scholarship endeavors at the 17th Annual Undergraduate Research
Symposium, held April 14-15, in the Bailey Science Center.

This year’s symposium had a record number of 125 entries, with the
largest increase in poster presentations.

“For many years, most of the poster presentations have come from
the sciences, but we are seeing a significant increase in students
delivering poster presentation from the humanities and social
sciences,” said Dr. James LaPlant, associate dean of the College of
Arts and Sciences. “Our faculty are engaging more and more students
in research each year which is reflected in rising numbers for the
symposium.”

LaPlant explains that the annual symposium showcases the
high-quality of research being conducted by students, and that it
reveals how undergraduates can genuinely contribute to the body of
knowledge in their discipline.

“For faculty, one of the most rewarding parts of our job is to
witness students present their original scholarship with such
confidence and conviction,” said LaPlant. “We know that students
who participate in undergraduate research have higher retention and
graduation rates. These students are also more likely to attend
graduate school.”

Taylor Dayne Naros was awarded the Best Poster in the
Humanities and Social Sciences for her work titled “How the
Pandemic of the Fall Still Resides Today.”

Zachary Reddick received the Best Paper Award for his work
titled “Infanticide in the Post-Reconstruction South: Racial,
Economic, and Social Causes.”

Cameron Morris and Thomas Carrigan tied for the Best
Poster in the Sciences with Chris Lowe. Morris and
Carrigan’s poster was titled “The Effects of Salinity on Acute
Nickel Toxicity to the Two Euryhaline Fish Species, Fundulus
hetroclitus and Kryptolebias marmoratus.” Lowe’s poster was titled
“Petrographic, Geochemical, and Structural Analysis of the
Keithsburg Facies within the LaFarge Rock Quarry, Ball Ground,
Georgia.”

Antonija Tanger and Siddhi Shah received runner-up
recognition for the Best Poster in the Sciences with their work
titled “Synthesis of Chiral Imines and Amines of Silica.”